


The Imp and the Wolf

by ShipMasterNepeta



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: F/M, Introspection, Tragic Romance, like a virgin writing fan fiction for the very first time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-10-13 13:37:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10514817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShipMasterNepeta/pseuds/ShipMasterNepeta
Summary: “What?” I ask, “, am I so beautiful you’ve no words left?”It’s a joke, of course. A joke only I can make. Slowly, the edges of his frown flips into a grin wider than I had ever seen on him before. Yet his eyes remain distant. It’s changed. Lots of things have changed. I’m not sure I’m quite ready yet to face that.Midna, now free from her cursed form, reflects on her past to try and understand her future; she's not sure she likes the conclusions she's reached.





	1. It Was A Joke

There he was. There he stood. Just staring at me with that wide frown of confusion. Staring and waiting.

“What?” I ask, “, am I so beautiful you’ve no words left?”

It’s a joke, of course. A joke only I can make. Slowly, the edges of his frown flips into a grin wider than I had ever seen on him before. Yet his eyes remain distant. It’s changed. Lots of things have changed. I’m not sure I’m quite ready yet to face that.

It was a joke, of course, because of the obvious fact about him: he never talks. Ever. Ehehehehe!  Okay, that’s a stretch, but not too much so when we first met.

He was, of course, a wolf at the time. I had just seen him get beaten over the head as he watched all of the people important to him get taken away, but of course I didn’t care. I wasn’t the most caring person then. That’s changed, too. I do care now. Probably too much. But at the moment, I didn’t. Not really. I cared that I was angry. I cared that I felt betrayed. I cared about… _me_ I guess. But I never really cared about him. Not really.

There I was, getting a sentient pup out of prison under the assumption that he fit some obscure old legend I was told as a child. I loved to torture the poor soul and took obvious delight in it. I mean, here I just lost everything, including my body; I could immediately identify with him on that fact. I guess the worse I made him feel, the better I felt. And he couldn’t talk back to me. Sure, he glared at me, snarled at me (although that was only the one time when we met, now that I think about it), but never actually talked. He just obeyed, and I loved every second of it.

Shoving him around, making him jump through loops (sometimes almost literally). It was a form of control that I still had, even in my pathetic state. My only way of coping. I was rather pitiful. Quite frankly, I think he knew it, and that’s why he put up with it for so long. Yeah, he couldn’t talk, but he could still at least do _something_ to communicate. Growl, snarl, bark, whatever. Never once did he ever try to tell me down. The only times he ever did communicate was when I asked a simple yes or no question, with which he’d answer with a simple nod or shake of his head. Sometimes, I’d ask him those questions just to remind myself that he _was_ sentient, and not just some mindless, witless beast that obeyed my every command.

Actually, looking back, there was that time he went to his village. I never noticed it then (being the heartless, broken bitch that I was), but I think somewhere in my mind I noticed just how human he was. The villagers attacked him, thinking him a monster that had kidnapped their kids. I remember laughing at it at the time. Some simple folk getting in the way of me getting some equipment? Easy-peasy! No need to waste thought! That was until…that man with the torch. He was very obviously injured, so I didn’t understand why he was being so hesitant. It was a damaged swordsman, and you had already shown prowess as a wolf! Why were you hesitating!? Defend yourself! The man said something like ‘Back away, you monster!’ or something of the like. It didn’t seem that different from literally _anyone else_ at the time. But then…I swear I saw tears in his eyes. Actual tears! Here was a boy who’d been banged on the head, watched all his friends get kidnapped, woke up in a body that wasn’t his, find out his entire _kingdom_ had been taken over, and then was forced to obey the every whim of some… _bratty imp_ who was obviously using him, and never _once_ did I see him show even a sliver of contempt or sorrow. No complaint, no sad forlorn looks; just his regular determination. And then, all of a sudden, it took just the threats of an injured man to bring actual tears to his eyes. He looked downright terrified that this man, this injured man, was actually going to _hurt_ him! I teased him about it not a few moments later, but even then I knew I’d gone too far. He just gave me this look, this angry look, but it wasn’t the anger that got to me. It was the hurt expression, his eyes trying to tell me ‘if you say that again, I will hurt you’ but really it was obviously not genuine from the tears that were threatening to fall. He looked hurt, vulnerable. It…it kind of scared me. I never brought it up again after that. I also never once questioned his humanity.


	2. Did He Notice?

I was only _slightly_ anxious about when he became human again. He no longer had the handicap of being mute. Turns out, though, that even as a human he didn’t talk much. I almost think he has some problem with speaking. He only ever says what needs to be said, and only if he can’t translate it through his body language somehow. So technically, nothing changed. He was still my obedient little servant who just so happened to be human now.

It was weird, by the way, when he was human again. I know I saw him transform into a beast the first time, but even then it felt strange to see one person be another, yet also be the same person. Am I making sense? Ehehehehe…of course I’m not.

At first it was fine, but I slowly began hating being just his shadow. He was just harder to command so easily! I was more of a guide than a master, after then, giving him advice he might or might not use. Usually he humored me, but every once in a while he would try things his own way. He showed a certain stubbornness that he didn’t have when he was a wolf. But then again, he was sharper, faster, stronger…just _better_ in every way. He was so much more confident. But he was also a numbskull. I once told him to not jump over that freaky plant monster thing, that I had a bad feeling about it. He decided to ignore me, and almost ended up getting eaten. I hassled him for that for hours, and he just sat there and took it, looking annoyed but also deflated like he knew he did wrong. For someone who doesn’t talk, he sure is very expressive.

As we traveled and further completed my goal, so did he complete his. We found the kids. We found the girl. Each time, he would become a little bit more complete while I was still…me. Still cursed. Still hideous. All that I gained was a bit more of the freakish power my ancestors created, which was starting to give me less and less comfort. I hated that he was slowly becoming whole while I stayed broken. I began to enjoy his expeditions into the shadows more and more as they occurred. Suddenly, he wasn’t the self-dependent, happy human that _everybody_ seemed to love. Now he was a helpless little pup with only half the skill he had as a human. Suddenly, he was controllable again, dependent on _me_. Needing _me_. I was in control again. Yet, somehow, over time even that brought less and less pleasure.

What had changed? Was it every time I saw him push himself to the limit for my sake? For others? For his sheer self-less-ness to the point I had to force him to rest when he was obviously too hurt to continue? Was it the idle chatter and jokes we’d make every once in a while to lighten the mood? The…intimacy we slowly built? So much had happened by the time we found the last Fused Shadow.

Did he notice? Notice my words become less harsh? Notice my voice slowly become gentler? Notice me losing my temper when he got hurt instead of doing something stupid? Did he notice when I started to actually care?

Who knows? I didn’t expect Zant to show up and fuck things up. That was…um…I think I’d like to change the subject. Anyways…

 No wait…I can’t, can I? This wouldn’t make any sense, would it? _Sigh_


	3. The Part Where I Died Part 1

Well, it can’t be avoided. I had to go through some very excruciating moments. In short, I almost died. After Zant did…whatever he did, then ironically used the Spirit of light to his advantage, my brain was so over ridden with pain that I can barely even remember what was happening. I remember feeling fur that I used to think was starchy and irritating, but now felt wet and cold in the rain. I remember the freezing rain pelting my body, making it numb all over. I remember asking myself how I was still on his back when I realized he was turning back every few seconds to make sure I was still there. I remember the look of panic on his muzzled face. I remember feeling him steady himself as much as possible to make the ride smoother. I remember, using what little energy I had left, to cling to him as closely as I could anyways.

…I guess I remember a lot of things. Huh. Well, I mostly remember having the overwhelming feeling that this was how I would die. I panicked at first, but that didn’t last long. I didn’t really have the energy to feel that at the moment. I felt sad next. Obviously, I really didn’t want to die. That was probably when I started clinging a bit tighter. Yet even that didn’t last. All of it gave way to anger. I was angry at Zelda for being the pretty bitch that she was. I was angry at Lanayru for fucking me up. I was angry at the goddess and the spirits and my ancestors and my mom and every little obstacle in our way and that stupid farm girl he always had goo-goo eyes towards. Heck, I was even mad at him for a moment! Why was he so stupid?! Why was he so caring?! Why was he so _fucking attractive_?! But mostly, I was angry at myself. Why was I so pathetic? Why couldn’t I do anything right myself? Why was I just such a horrible person? I had gotten my wish, he was now just as cursed as I, and that fact that I felt the teensiest bit of satisfaction made me feel sick. Was I really that horrible? I’ve seen everything he loved, everything he had waiting for him to go back to, and all of that ruined as he was stuck in the body of a beast. Were we really now on equal grounds, or was he even worse off than me? Yet here he was, still running at the fastest possible rate he could while trying to keep me comfortable. It was in that moment that I really felt the full weight of how shitty of a person I was.

You’re probably asking yourself “But wait, she didn’t mention Zant!” Weirdly enough, I wasn’t really angry at Zant. I’m still not. Not really. I’m not sure what my opinion toward Zant was before the invasion either. He was an extremist who seemed way too pleased in trying to kiss the current ruler’s ass. To me then, he was simply below me. I mean, I wasn’t wrong, but I won’t give past me the pleasure. Past me, I once again specify, was a bitch. I mean, even more so than imp past me. She was also a bitch, but she was hurting as well. The past past me was just…arrogant? Pretentious? Had a major superiority complex? A pompous fuck?! All of the above!!!

…

I need to calm down a bit.


	4. ...Might Actually Be Proud of Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just point out that I REALLY don't like adding original content to anything. It just f33ls so...purrtensious. Heck, I don't even like what I did here, it doesn't make any sense! Howefurr, I can't just have introspect without any past, so I was kind of forced to. I'd say just skip this and the next chapter if you want. Or read my weird take on backstory. You do you, reader.

To be quite frank, I was a spoiled brat. I had everything given to me, and had little respect for anything. ‘A carefree youth and a life of luxury…how does that teach duty?’ I think I was projecting a little when I first met Zelda, but I digress. Nothing against my mom (actually, _everything_ against my mom), but she…really wasn’t the best mother. Which is an understatement. I mean, she was a great ruler (or at least I was _told_ she was)! Maybe she should have tried to teach me a _little_ bit about the ancient powers of the ruler of twilight and how to rule the twilight realm. Might’ve been useful. Of course, she didn’t. I know why now, but back then I thought it was because I was just a disappointment to her. Not sure what she saw in Zant, though. He was a…cousin? An Uncle? Something like that. He loved to suck up to her, and she clearly knew it. Most everyone did. She also clearly favored him over me. I mean…it stings a little thinking about it now, but he did a lot more than I did when it came to serving the realm. I did little more than what was expected of me, and even then hated doing it. I was a very spiteful child, spending my time pranking and torturing those around me. My mother disapproved of my antics and frequently lectured how I was ‘future ruler, and must start acting like it’. It wasn’t fun but hey…at least she paid a little attention to me, right? Ehehehehe…hehe…he

I’m starting to think I had some real issues when I was a kid.  Probably explains why I had such an active sex life as-HOLY shit why did I just say that was too much information changing the subject!

A-anyways…anyways, all I know is one moment I’m living the high life, the next moment my mom is dead. Happened over night, she was alive and then she wasn’t. Was it some illness or poison or an assassination? I don’t even remember. I don’t think I really cared. All of a sudden, the role of ruler was handed to me. I was shocked, to say the least. I had never really come to terms with the fact that I would eventually become the ruler. In fact, I was sure that if my mother could’ve passed the power down herself, she would’ve given it to Zant (the main reason I don’t suspect him of possibly killing her). Nobody wanted an extremist with the power, though. So there I was, suddenly ruler of twilight.

I wasn’t sure who was more upset: me, or Zant. I mean, I was more surprised than upset at the time; Zant was downright devastated. All those years of butt kissing were in vain. At least, that had been what I had thought. It was part of the reason, atleast. I wasn’t prepared for the truth.

 One of the few things I was happy about at the moment was the fact that I got my mom’s bedroom (‘which was so much grander than my old bedroom!’ Arrrgh…I hate past past me). They apparently hadn’t cleaned it out, cause all her belongings were still there. Among them, I found what must’ve been her personal journal. I _…(deep breath)_ …the contents was something I don’t remember fondly, although it answered numerous questions I had for ages. First, she didn’t want me to be ruler. Not even a little. What fondness she did hold for me was for my ‘cleverness’, my ‘way of seeing things and solving things like no other. A certain wit that would be a prized trait for any ruler.’ I was actually touched for a moment. That was the nicest thing she had ever said about me! Ehehehehe…goddesses that’s messed up. I had thought she ignored me cause she was “too busy” or some bullshit. Turns out it was because I was ‘too resistant to authority, too childish, too _hard to control_ ’! She wanted a fucking puppet, so she decided to make one. Zant. He was taken in, and turned into a perfect little toy for her own purposes. Turns out his extremist views he got from dear old mom, who had to keep her want to take over the light world a secret due to royal family politics. She thought that after she handed down the power to Zant, she could then use him for her own devices! Heck, I even read that she had plans to _assassinate_ me if I got too out of hand cause, if I became ruler, I would bring about the kingdom’s downfall! _Ha!_ Looked like someone beat her to it! Eheheheheh! _Ehehehehehehe!_

I not sure if I started laughing so hard that I cried, or sobbed so hard I started to laugh. It doesn’t matter. Was does matter is, until that day the only thing I cared about was getting her attention. Until that day, I had no drive for anything other than sex and pleasure. I promised, then and there with the goddesses as my witness, that I would become the _best_ ruler that those fuckers have ever seen just to spite her. I would devote my life to prove her the fuck wrong!

And so I did. I must’ve surprised the royal family with how fast I took up the mantle, making decisions on the day after my coronation. I claimed my power quickly and efficiently: I made allies with everyone I could and turned them against anyone who opposed me. I helped the general population, making them love me. Who could oppose someone who the people loved? It wasn’t hard. Twili were just things there for you to manipulate and use, right mom? I remember cornering one particularly stubborn council member who was adamant about opposing me, able to ‘see through my guise’ and that my purpose was to ‘destroy everything my mother built!’ He wasn’t wrong, but he also needed to know his place. I had two mercenaries there with me that day, and a dubious amount of evidence of things he’d _love_ to keep secret. He was suddenly very compliant. I even remember making him crawl on all fours, bark like a dog then lick my feet clean. I…probably enjoyed that a little too much. All in all, within less than a year I had the whole kingdom in the palm of my hand. Did you see that mom? Did you see how I destroyed everything you built? Did you see how much they all loved me?! How they all feared me!? Did you regret ever thinking I couldn’t do what you do!? Did you think just once in that fucked up, twisted mind of yours that you regretted ever underestimating me and that you might actually…might…actually…be proud of me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if you actually did read through, then good furr you! It is a weird headcanon of mine that Midna was extremely sexually active, and was more than likely into Dominating. It just...really fits her character.


	5. My Hands Were Too Small

…

Ehehehehe…ehehehehe…eh. I really was messed up. No, I _am_ messed up. Sorry, I…I lost my self a little there. Anyways, none of that matters now. I guess I was surprised when Zant took over? I mean, I didn’t see it coming, that much I know. It feels so long ago now. He had waltzed right in with his own army, telling me to acknowledge him as the new king. I told him to go fuck himself. He didn’t like that. He took me outside, away from everyone else, for what he said was ‘a negotiation’. He was slowly walking towards me, and I was backing away. I tried telling him my mom was just using him, that she never really cared for him. That he was a fool for trying to finish her mission. He didn’t seem to care. He said something about ‘finding a new god’. I know now that it was Ganondorf, but back then I had thought he just went crazy. I think I was angry. I had worked so hard to spite my mother, yet here was her puppet about to undo all that work along with kill me. I probably told him something insulting, a last ditch effort to spite him as much as I could. Something like ‘even when you kill me, you won’t be any less of a loser’ (though, knowing me, it was probably much more long winded and much less kind). The next sequence I do remember. It’s practically drilled into my head. He laughed. At least, I had always thought it was a laugh. I always found it to be too unnerving to be a laugh. He always seemed so goofy, save for that laugh. That…freakish wail of his. It shook me to the core then. I was terrified. I remember him saying “This is your last chance. Acknowledge me, or face a fate worse than death.” I remember feeling almost annoyed, giving off one last “fuck you.” He raised his hand with his ungodly long arms, and just pushed it to the side. Some invisible force knocked me in the same direction. I felt… _something_ else at the same time. A…a draining, like the warmth in my body was jerked out of my body with a crooked hook that left a mark. The pain was excruciating, even if it only lasted for a moment. A number of other sensations occurred, all in rapid succession. The air, my breath, gravity; they all felt wrong. All of this in a matter of seconds. I was extremely disoriented when I hit the ground. My head felt foggy, and my vision was blurred like I’d just woken up. I tried to get up to reorient myself, feeling dizzy as I tried to push up on my arms. Despite them feeling weak, I had succeeded to support myself long enough to transfer weight to my knees. I felt so weak, yet my body felt so light. I noticed my hands first. They were the wrong color. I had thought it was just strange at first. Why were my hands black? I inspected the rest of my arms, and it seemed only my hands were changed. I then noticed that they seemed a little…off. They were small, _too_ small. I may not be the most muscular individual, but my arms didn’t look like twigs. They didn’t even look like they belonged to any twili. I started to feel alarmed, looking at both of them franticly. These weren’t my arms. They looked more like the arms of a child’s than my arms! I looked closer at my hands, and they were just as freakish. It didn’t make sense in my mind. I tried blinking, but they stayed the same. I tried it again with the same result. I followed my arms to my body, and froze. My mind was finally awake. The markings were all the same, but my body was all wrong. My hands slowly lowered onto what looked to be my stomach, shaking violently before landing. I felt it. I rubbed my hands up and down my stomach, now plump and rounded. I raised it to my chest, now shrunk and narrow. My panic escalating as I got to my head. What used to be my ears were now long and pointed. In my mouth, I felt a single fang protruding. All the while, my soft sobs begin to raise in volume, and tears are formed in my eyes. I say in a single, shaky breath “What have you done to me?” Even my voice was that of a child’s. I dared not look in his direction, dared not let him see me in such a weak state.

“You were always so beautiful, just like her.” I jerked around to give him a heated glare, but I found he now towered over me. “That was the only thing you shared, saddly. You’re nothing like her. You’re childish, cruel, uncaring, manipulative, vulgar, everything she was not.” He began to slowly walk towards me. “Well, now you look like what you truly are: nothing but an ugly little imp.” A sword appeared in his hand, and he raised it to strike. “So now you can die looking like the monster you are!” I looked up at him with terrified eyes right as he brought his blade down. I’d like to say that I faced death with a straight face. I didn’t. I’d like to say I faced death glaring and cursing at him. I didn’t. I screamed “Please don’t kill me!” in the most pitiful voice I could managed.

And he didn’t. His sword didn’t even come close. I was surprised, to say the least. I saw his sword in the ground next to me, and his arm shaking. His helmet disappeared, and I saw tears and desperation in his eyes. He took one more long look at me before he bowed his head with a defeated sigh.

“Leave”, he told me. It took me a moment to fully contemplate what he was saying, leaving me to stare at him dumbly. Once again, in a more commanding voice, he yelled “Leave, I’m banishing you! Leave and never come back!” I stared at him a bit longer before I finally got to my feet. They were ridiculously smaller, I found to my horror, and took a few moments to orient myself onto them. The entire time, Zant was glaring at me patiently. As soon as I regained my balance, I ran. I ran as fast as I could as far as I could. I didn’t give a single look back, nor did I pay any attention to anyone in my way. No one payed me any mind either. Who would? It was only when I was on the outskirts of the palace did I deem it safe to slow down, and what little energy I had was gone. I collapsed right then and there. I was forced to look at my hands again. My tiny, discolored hands. I felt horrible. I was out of breath, barely had the energy to move, felt utterly _humiliated_ and _confused_ and…

My body…

…

I hated how weak I felt, and how it made me feel so hopeless. I felt violated, like a part of me had been stolen. Everything about me was stolen. And there was nothing I could do. I was physically powerless, and I could feel the power of the ruler of twilight was gone as well. I couldn’t do anything to fight back, no matter what I did. I scrunched my face up in anger, tears dripping onto the ground. I had never felt more hopeless in my life.

It was then that I remembered something. Using what little power I had left, I brought out an item I was supposed to hold and protect since the first day of being the ruler of twilight. A fused shadow, a piece of the immense power my ancestors used. I had heard the stories, knew the things that even a fraction of its power could do. I could _feel_ the dark magic radiating from it. It felt good. It felt _really_ good. The feeling of hopelessness was immediately replaced with unbridled, murderous glee. I could just see Zant bowing at the hands of this power, and that thought alone brought a wide grin to my face.


	6. The Part Where I Died Part 2

That’s what drove me: revenge. Just plain old spite. All of this flashed before me as I laid on Link’s back. Huh…that’s the first time I realized I called him Link. Not wolfy, or wolf boy, or hero…just Link. He truly was so pure compared to the rest of the cruel world. How could one be so selfless in a world like this? I guess that’s what being a ‘hero’ was all about. But even then, he did it only because he had people he cared about to save; a reason that would make anyone look on with droopy eyes and shout _Awwww!_ It wasn’t out of sense of duty or some non-sense like that. He was doing it not because someone asked, but because in his mind he had no choice. And here I was, living in spite. I never really lived for much other reason than in spite. In spite of mother, in spite of Zant, in spite of _everything_! Every moment was one where I only ever concerned myself with the misfortune of others. I guess I could never be selfless since I was too busy distracting myself from how much I despised me. I was just an angry little imp, and I hated it. I hated how much I hated myself and everyone around me. I could hardly think of a moment in my life where I didn’t hate everyone around me. My entire existence was just one long jab at the world for letting me live; if everyone around you felt worse than you do, then you can’t really say you feel bad can you? At least, that was what I had thought. I had no one I cared about, mostly because I didn’t think anyone cared about me. I started to feel empty, realizing just how truly devoid my life was of any meaning. I just lived in spite; just plain old spite.

I couldn’t spite Link anymore, though; I found I was no longer capable of it. How could I after everything we’ve been through? After everything _I_ put him through? I was finally ready to admit that I didn’t want to hate Link, and didn’t want Link to hate me. He never did, of course, despite everything I did to him; he was still looking at me with those worried eyes like he cared, like he’d actually miss me when I’d die. It felt…nice. It was a weird feeling to be loved, if I can even call it that. I had wondered if that was what he felt like all the time. Did he? Was that why he was the way he was? Because of that good feeling without guilt bogging it down? If that were the case, then maybe he wasn’t such a selfless hero after all. Though I guess nothing is truly selfless, since there is always something to gain. Knowing that, no matter where you were or what you were doing, there was someone who had you in their thoughts? Truly a feeling worth fighting for.

Caring, on the other hand, was disastrous. With a sense of dread, I realized that ‘not-hate’ I had for Link was actually something close to ‘caring’. Caring, I learned, was not so nice. It was like a drug that when removed from you, you go through the worst withdrawal symptoms imaginable. Plus you have to be in sync; when they’re unhappy, you’re unhappy, and you can only be happy when they’re happy. Main reason why I couldn’t hate Link: against my will, I was indicted to his heroism shtick, and now was hopelessly addicted. Yet, like a fool, I drunk it up like my life depended on it. It was like I was quenching a thirst I never noticed was there. In a way, then, I guess ‘caring’ had its own benefits. I wanted to care, but I also wanted him to care as well. And the funniest thing was, he already did! Ehehehehe, EHehehehe…I was such an idiot. The whole time, he was still looking at me with panicked yet determined eyes as if to say “I don’t want you to die. I want you to live.”

I think he was already making his way through the castle again when I finally came to terms with my death. It wasn’t hard, I found to my surprise; there really wasn’t much that I regretted. There were somethings, though, like how little meaning I gave to my life, how much of a bitch I was to every single twili that had the misfortune of interacting with me, the fact that I could never be the leader that twili needed when Zant took over, that I could never see that look of pure horror adorned on Zant’s face (which actually seemed less and less relevant to me, to be honest), and of course that I would be leaving behind Link in his beast form. I…actually had a lot to regret. Huh. Well, the way I took it, none of it was my responsibility anymore. To not have to care, and just leave everything up to everyone else was a huge load off my shoulders. It didn’t last long since I went through ‘withdrawal’ soon after for not only Link, but _also_ the people that I abandoned. Stupid ‘caring’ wouldn’t let me relax while I was dying. So I had only one regret, and I was hoping to let it go as Link finally entered Zelda’s room once more.

She seemed so surprised, looking at my decrepit soon-to-be corpse. I didn’t blame her. I had a task, though, and the resolve to do it as my last act before death. It was simple: 1) Help Link since he has family, friends, and a life to go back to. 2) Tell him where the mirror of twilight is. I didn’t want to put any more responsibility on Link after everything I made him do up to this point, and I wasn’t even sure if he would be able to fight off Zant or even know what to do if he got there. Maybe Zelda could round up an army? I mean, the invasion was officially over, so she could afford to be on the offensive. None the less, I couldn’t leave the twili to just be forsaken. I was hoping Zelda would understand, and to an extend she did. She _finally_ figured out who I was (about time), and I’m guessing the implications to what it meant. I had thought she would go off and do her thing so I could finally die without (too many) regrets. She instead decided to use her… _essence_ or something to bring me not only back from the brink of death, but also make me immune to the light.

 

...

 

That bitch!


	7. Couldn't Be Childish Anymore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People are actually reading this. Shit. Now I have to finish it.

You would think that someone saved from the brink of death would be on their knees, spouting words of gratitude to whomever is listening. I, on the other hand, was far from gracious. I was confused, disoriented, and angry as all hell. What right did she have to save me? I had gone to the trouble of accepting my death and everything! I was ready to die, and you just decide to deny me that?! And not only that, but sacrifice yourself to do it?! All that weight, all that responsibility I thought I could let go of was now crushing me once again, with the added bonus that the princess _sacrificed herself to save me cause she believed I was more important than her at the moment!_ How could I deal with that pressure!?

…is what I should’ve been thinking. I should’ve just collapsed on the floor right there in frustration. Instead, however, I felt…calm. Really…unnervingly…calm. It occurred to me that it was unusual, but even that didn’t really concern me at the moment. My head just felt clear, so clear that I could actually think of what to do next. The master sword, Zelda had said. That was the key to helping Link. Was this the power Zelda mentioned, powers granted by the goddesses? Did she literally pass on the triforce of wisdom to me? All that hate, all that anger suddenly quieted in the back of my mind. She had literally sacrificed everything for me. Like hell I wanted it, but I didn’t have the luxury to be selfish anymore. Didn’t I want to be better? For my people? For Zelda’s people? For everyone I have every wronged? If I was given a second chance, do I really have the right to give it up? A renewed sense of purpose filled me, and for once not out of spite. I had a duty to fulfill, and sacrifices to give meaning to. I was needed.

When we left the castle, immediately a barrier surrounded it. It was almost like someone was mocking us. I half wanted to throw a temper tantrum right then and there out of frustration, but the calmness kept me clear headed. I couldn’t be childish anymore.


End file.
